AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2014 - 56

A PREFLIGHT ITEM involves
checking to assure the
wing attach pins are securely
installed (above). When
the wings are folded on
a tricycle-gear version,
the tail rests on a caster
that allows for easy
maneuvering (above center).
The Continental CD-155
engine is an outgrowth of a
Mercedes-Benz engine,
but is evermore becoming
an all-aviation package
(facing page).

control is via a single lever. The dual-channel system manages the prop and mixture
controls to provide best performance given
the phase of flight and ambient conditions.
During normal operations, the A FADEC
channel runs the engine. Should there be
a problem, the B channel will automatically take over; or the pilot can choose the
other channel via a switch. The FADECs,
which require electrical power to operate,
have their own backup battery, which kicks
in should the alternator and the ship's battery fail; the panel displays have their own
battery backups too.
On Runway 22 Right at Spokane's Felts
Field, I shoved the lever forward and the little airplane surged ahead. We soon formed
up on a Bonanza A36 for a photo mission.
I'd flown a Sportsman before and quickly
remembered how much fun it is to fly. The
center stick and tight flight controls give it a
responsive feel. Some want to compare the
Sportsman to the Cessna 172, but the Experimental airplane has much more responsive
controls. Unlike the Skyhawk, though, the Sportsman's aft two seats are both optional and
facing backward, with passenger legs extending into the tail cone.
It's roomier and more comfortable than it sounds, with good visibility out the side and
back windows. If you don't need the seats, pull out the seat cushions and stuff it full of
camping gear. With a tailwheel, tundra tires, and a takeoff distance as short as 300 feet on
the 210-horsepower avgas model, it is a formidable backcountry airplane.
The center fuselage is a steel-tube frame, to which the engine, gear, and wing mounts
attach, providing good crash protection. The wings fold and the tail can be removed for
trailering or to save hangar space-a feature Frisch said many customers like, but few actually use. The structure makes it easy to swap types of landing gear. Changing from tricycle
to tailwheel or putting on skis or floats can be done in a matter of hours. Many builders get
both the tricycle and tailwheel kits; about 10 percent are put on floats, according to Frisch.
The wings and tail surfaces are aluminum; fuselage skins are fiberglass. A $15,000 carbon fiber option increases useful load by 150 pounds.

56 | AOPA PILOT December 2014

Most fiberglass avgas-powered models
end up with a useful load of 800 pounds;
about 700 pounds with the heavier diesel
engine. However, with the lower fuel burn,
a pilot has the option to leave some of the
50 gallons of jet fuel behind and carry
more cargo.
At 5,500 feet and 85-percent power,
the airplane showed a true airspeed of 137
knots on 7.2 gph; at 60-percent power the
speed dropped to 112 knots and fuel burn
to 4.9 gph. Frisch reported that en route to
EAA AirVenture at 11,500 feet he cruised
at 139 KTAS.
At the other end of the flight envelope,
the airplane, rather than stalling, simply
settled straight ahead at 42 knots indicated
airspeed with the two-position flap switch
all the way down. Four chevron-shaped vortex generators on top of the wing help keep
air energized over the ailerons, improving
control at slow speeds. Strakes just ahead of
the horizontal stabilizer improve the stability as well. Standard-rate turns at 50 knots
were solid and comfortable.
While Glasair's unique Two Weeks to
Taxi program, which knocks about 1,000
hours off the usual 2,000-hour build time,
is an option for any Sportsman builder, it is
a requirement for those installing a diesel
engine while the company gains experience with the process. You show up, work
hard for two weeks, and at the end your
new airplane is up on its gear, engine hung,
at least basic panel installed, and ready
to taxi. It's a remarkably efficient way to
jumpstart a build project.

AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2014